BlueNile vs Tiffany''s

[drvfstnwild]

Got some questions. I have been looking at the classic Tiffany Setting ring in 1ct. However I have also been looking at BlueNile.com with a similar 6 prong platinum ring with a 1.05ct diamond.

I like the idea of buying from a physical store for returns, re-size, cleaned, etc... However, the price is cheaper, especially when compared to Tiffany''s. Does anyone have experience with BlueNile purchases. I know they offer (re-direct) you to a warranty place which handles damages, lost, etc... Below is the information on a Diamond that I have been looking at at BlueNile; any comments/suggestions with it? What do you think a similar thing at Tiffany''s would be. I don''t take it they would come close to that price if I bring that in to them would they?

Carat weight: 1.05
Cut: Signature Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: IF

Depth %: 61.4%
Table %: 55%
Symmetry: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Girdle: Thin to medium, faceted
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 6.59 x 6.56 x 4.04 mm

Price is mid 16,000. Too much?

Thanks!

 

[drvfstnwild]

Some additional questions. Has anyone dealt with BlueNile and/or Tiffanys? Can you tell me about your experience?
Does anyone know of any other decent Jewelers in the Pittsburgh area?
Is it worth the price difference to try and buy it online (from anywhere) as opposed to buying it at a physical store?

 

[neatfreak]

Tiffany's will be probably 30-50% more than Bluenile.

But there are other options... There are some great B&M stores out there as well as other internet vendors with much better customer service, upgrade policies, etc. such as Good Old Gold and Whiteflash. I'd much rather buy from one of these vendors than Bluenile. I don't think BN's customer service is that fabulous. And Tiffany's you are literally paying for the little blue box if you are just getting a solitaire.

And just so you know, unless it's important to you, you don't need to get IF. Visually there is no difference to the naked eye between an IF and an eyeclean SI1...so you can save a lot of money there.

 

[Mrs W]

^ditto to what NF said, also just wanted to throw this out there, it just so happens to be one of the best tiffany replicas out there IMHO.

Also, if you lower clarity just a smidge you could get something like this:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5063/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5061/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4949/

And if you lower color just a smidge, something like this

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4974/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4833/

 

[Inanna]

Date: 12/1/2008 10:29:02 AM
Author: drvfstnwild

Does anyone know of any other decent Jewelers in the Pittsburgh area?

Hi! I used to live in Pittsburgh and I loved Henne Jewelers on Walnut St. in Shadyside - great knowledge and customer service. Most everyone I know in Pittsburgh goes to them or Orr's Jewelers. Honestly though, I would probably use an online jeweler like Whiteflash for diamonds (now that I've found PS).

Bluenile doesn't impress me at all - I feel you need to at least see a picture of a diamond if you can't see it in person. Tiffany has great quality but vastly overcharges for a little blue box and the Tiffany name, in my opinion.

I'm also curious why you're looking at IF (internally flawless) diamonds - you will pay through the nose for that and the difference will not be noticeable between IF and VS2 (perhaps even SI).

 

[bgray]

ditto to everyone elses comments. IF is a complete waste of money--an F vs1 or 2 is really a great spot and the price will come down monumentally

 

[drvfstnwild]

Well I guess me reasoning is quite foolish, as I try to read on how to look and examine diamonds I just can''t really figure it out so ignorance just tells me the higher the grades on the scale, the better it is. I also work overseas currently and will only be in town for less than two weeks so time is of the essence. I would rather go overboard than under.

 

[Mrs W]

If you(in most cases) can never see the inclusions in a SI1 why pay for IF....although to be on the safe side VS2 is always eyeclean and it gives you way more options and let you get bigger carat weight.

I would focus on cut being most important, then color, budget and the rest will fall into place....The stones I''ve listed are exceptional cuts and the color is just what you wanted and they are eyeclean, you would have to check if that G SI1 is eyeclean but im sure it is.

 

[bgray]

Date: 12/1/2008 11:02:01 AM
Author: drvfstnwild
Well I guess me reasoning is quite foolish, as I try to read on how to look and examine diamonds I just can''t really figure it out so ignorance just tells me the higher the grades on the scale, the better it is. I also work overseas currently and will only be in town for less than two weeks so time is of the essence. I would rather go overboard than under.

still--go to whiteflash. com one of pricscopes best online diamond vendors (GOG and James Allen are also great) but Whiteflash for a classic round is probably the easiest. IF stones are also not a great "investment" for resale or trade (just in case you need to or want to upgrade ever) because most consumers would rather pay for what you can SEE: size, cut, color.................

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 12/1/2008 11:02:01 AM
Author: drvfstnwild
Well I guess me reasoning is quite foolish, as I try to read on how to look and examine diamonds I just can't really figure it out so ignorance just tells me the higher the grades on the scale, the better it is. I also work overseas currently and will only be in town for less than two weeks so time is of the essence. I would rather go overboard than under.

If you're looking to go "overboard" rather than under, then it'd make more sense to go with a great VS2 in a larger size, than a 1.05 IF. Flawless diamonds are a waste of money.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/1/2008 11:02:01 AM
Author: drvfstnwild
Well I guess me reasoning is quite foolish, as I try to read on how to look and examine diamonds I just can''t really figure it out so ignorance just tells me the higher the grades on the scale, the better it is. I also work overseas currently and will only be in town for less than two weeks so time is of the essence. I would rather go overboard than under.

As the others have said, it is cut which gives a diamond its beauty. Other than that, colour, clarity and carat can be a matter of preference. Some do prefer and will gladly pay for IF for purity or cultural reasons which is absolutely fine of course, same with D colour, to some it is of great importance to have the '' best''. But if you get a well cut diamond, any colour grade will look good IMO and as for clarity if the diamond is eyeclean you won''t notice any difference with the naked eye between IF or SI for example.

 

[grapegravity]

just for your reference, my friend''s 1 ct E, VVS1, 6 prong solitaire from Tiffany costed $25000 CAD. And it was purchased last Xmas.

 

[drvfstnwild]

What about this one from Whiteflash?
. Report: AGS
. Shape: A Cut Above H&A
. Carat: 1.090
. Depth %: 61.4
. Table %: 57
. Crown Angle: 34.6
. Crown %: 14.9
. Star : 50
. Pavilion Angle: 40.7
. Pavilion %: 42.8
. Lower Girdle %: 77
. Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick Faceted
. Measurements: 6.60-6.62X4.06
. Light Performance: 0
. Polish: Ideal
. Symmetry: Ideal
. Culet: Pointed
. Fluorescence: Negligible

2000 less than blue nile...

 

[JSM]

Don''t forget that an IF diamond may not actually be flawless - just flawless at the magnification used to make the grading! Best of luck!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 12/1/2008 11:39:20 AM
Author: grapegravity
just for your reference, my friend's 1 ct E, VVS1, 6 prong solitaire from Tiffany costed $25000 CAD. And it was purchased last Xmas.

Yikes! Imagine if you went slightly down in color, clarity, and didn't get a Tiffany branded stone, for that $25K a 1. ct diamond, a pendant, AND a pair of earrings could be purchased! OR you could get a larger stone! Hmmm. . .which would a girl prefer?

 

[drvfstnwild]

The diamond at WhiteFlash is a F with vvs2....

Thanks for all the help. It is all slowly starting to get through my head.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/1/2008 11:45:32 AM
Author: drvfstnwild
The diamond at WhiteFlash is a F with vvs2....

Thanks for all the help. It is all slowly starting to get through my head.

The WF diamond looks great by the numbers.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Here''s a great alternative to the F IF stone and it''s under $10K.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4749/

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 12/1/2008 11:40:43 AM
Author: drvfstnwild
What about this one from Whiteflash?
. Report: AGS
. Shape: A Cut Above H&A
. Carat: 1.090
. Depth %: 61.4
. Table %: 57
. Crown Angle: 34.6
. Crown %: 14.9
. Star : 50
. Pavilion Angle: 40.7
. Pavilion %: 42.8
. Lower Girdle %: 77
. Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick Faceted
. Measurements: 6.60-6.62X4.06
. Light Performance: 0
. Polish: Ideal
. Symmetry: Ideal
. Culet: Pointed
. Fluorescence: Negligible

2000 less than blue nile...

Yes...or this one, a teeny bit smaller.

I take it you are targeting F, smartly, thinking you can't see how it's visually better than D or E.

Likewise...I think you can target VS1, anyway (and as you read above, others would say VS2 or even SI1.

 

[Regular Guy]

Also...not wanting to hold you back. GOG is another favored vendor (both WF & GOG provide lots of supporting info for diamonds they do actually have in stock...features not typical of BN) and has a couple more, like this one. Or a VS2 for $500 less.

For your ease of use, consider playing around with this tool.

Regards,

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/1/2008 11:40:43 AM
Author: drvfstnwild
What about this one from Whiteflash?

. Report: AGS

. Shape: A Cut Above H&A

. Carat: 1.090

. Depth %: 61.4

. Table %: 57

. Crown Angle: 34.6

. Crown %: 14.9

. Star : 50

. Pavilion Angle: 40.7

. Pavilion %: 42.8

. Lower Girdle %: 77

. Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick Faceted

. Measurements: 6.60-6.62X4.06

. Light Performance: 0

. Polish: Ideal

. Symmetry: Ideal

. Culet: Pointed

. Fluorescence: Negligible


2000 less than blue nile...

It would be a great choice. But you can still drop that VVS2 quite a bit if you want and save some cash or get a bigger stone.

 

[grapegravity]

Date: 12/1/2008 11:44:03 AM
Author: MC

Date: 12/1/2008 11:39:20 AM
Author: grapegravity
just for your reference, my friend''s 1 ct E, VVS1, 6 prong solitaire from Tiffany costed $25000 CAD. And it was purchased last Xmas.

Yikes! Imagine if you went slightly down in color, clarity, and didn''t get a Tiffany branded stone, for that $25K a 1. ct diamond, a pendant, AND a pair of earrings could be purchased! OR you could get a larger stone! Hmmm. . .which would a girl prefer?

well, she ONLY wants her ER from TIffany with the highest specs so her FI knows that if he propose without a Tiffany ring, she will not say yes when he propose.

It''s all about different preference and priorities.... She prioritize Tiffany first on her list whereas my first priority is the origins of the diamond.

 

[swingirl]

While Tiffany is a physical store they send all their jewelry to NY to be worked on, and they are not very fast.

Many of us have bought our stone online and had it set by an online vendor or locally. If you do set it locally and purchase other jewelry from a local jeweler you can develop a relationship for cleanings, sizings and future projects.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 12/1/2008 2:04:13 PM
Author: grapegravity

Date: 12/1/2008 11:44:03 AM
Author: MC

Date: 12/1/2008 11:39:20 AM
Author: grapegravity
just for your reference, my friend''s 1 ct E, VVS1, 6 prong solitaire from Tiffany costed $25000 CAD. And it was purchased last Xmas.

Yikes! Imagine if you went slightly down in color, clarity, and didn''t get a Tiffany branded stone, for that $25K a 1. ct diamond, a pendant, AND a pair of earrings could be purchased! OR you could get a larger stone! Hmmm. . .which would a girl prefer?

well, she ONLY wants her ER from TIffany with the highest specs so her FI knows that if he propose without a Tiffany ring, she will not say yes when he propose.

Wow! I know I''m entirely veering off topic here, but it sounds like they shouldn''t be getting married at all if a Tiffany branded stone is more important than her FI!

 

[CCNZ]

Date: 12/1/2008 2:04:13 PM
Author: grapegravity

Date: 12/1/2008 11:44:03 AM

Author: MC

Date: 12/1/2008 11:39:20 AM

Author: grapegravity

just for your reference, my friend's 1 ct E, VVS1, 6 prong solitaire from Tiffany costed $25000 CAD. And it was purchased last Xmas.

Yikes! Imagine if you went slightly down in color, clarity, and didn't get a Tiffany branded stone, for that $25K a 1. ct diamond, a pendant, AND a pair of earrings could be purchased! OR you could get a larger stone! Hmmm. . .which would a girl prefer?

well, she ONLY wants her ER from TIffany with the highest specs so her FI knows that if he propose without a Tiffany ring, she will not say yes when he propose.

It's all about different preference and priorities.... She prioritize Tiffany first on her list whereas my first priority is the origins of the diamond.

she sounds like a real catch!

 

[grapegravity]

Date: 12/1/2008 5:07:32 PM
Author: MC

Date: 12/1/2008 2:04:13 PM

Author: grapegravity

Date: 12/1/2008 11:44:03 AM

Author: MC

Date: 12/1/2008 11:39:20 AM

Author: grapegravity

just for your reference, my friend''s 1 ct E, VVS1, 6 prong solitaire from Tiffany cost $25000 CAD. And it was purchased last Xmas.

Yikes! Imagine if you went slightly down in color, clarity, and didn''t get a Tiffany branded stone, for that $25K a 1. ct diamond, a pendant, AND a pair of earrings could be purchased! OR you could get a larger stone! Hmmm. . .which would a girl prefer?

well, she ONLY wants her ER from Tiffany with the highest specs so her FI knows that if he propose without a Tiffany ring, she will not say yes when he propose.

Wow! I know I''m entirely veering off topic here, but it sounds like they shouldn''t be getting married at all if a Tiffany branded stone is more important than her FI!

well, I think it''s more like if he cannot make her dream (Tiffany ring) come true, then he is not the one for her..... Because they were other guys that were pursuing her and willing to make her dream come true.. So he had to make the first move before it''s too late...

 

[CharmyPoo]

Date: 12/2/2008 1:50:24 AM
Author: grapegravity

well, I think it''s more like if he cannot make her dream (Tiffany ring) come true, then he is not the one for her..... Because they were other guys that were pursuing her and willing to make her dream come true.. So he had to make the first move before it''s too late...

Wow. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. I don''t understand why a man will want to be with someone like that. Is he forever going to try to win her over? She either wants to be with him or she doesn''t. Life isn''t a dream - I sure hope a dose of reality hits your friend soon.

I just don''t see how you can build a marriage like that. It is one thing to want the best that one can comfortably afford. It is another to demand it and threathen to leave if he can''t make it happen

 

[missjaxon]

My fiance got my engagement ring from Bluenile and I absolutely love it and even though it is not favoured by many PSer''s, the customer service at Bluenile was impeccable. Also since receiving my ring I have sent it in for repair (incident on my part) and they were very speedy and their communication was great. They had my ring repaired to better then brand new and back on my finger extremely fast!! I couldn''t be more happy with my ring and the customer service at Bluenile and suggest them to all of my friends (some of them already have BN rings too!) And yes they may not meet some PSer''s standards, but in my opinion they are a really great company that stands behind their product.

 

[flowerladytoo]

Date: 12/2/2008 1:50:24 AM
Author: grapegravity

Date: 12/1/2008 5:07:32 PM

Author: MC

Date: 12/1/2008 2:04:13 PM


Author: grapegravity

Date: 12/1/2008 11:44:03 AM


Author: MC

Date: 12/1/2008 11:39:20 AM


Author: grapegravity


just for your reference, my friend''s 1 ct E, VVS1, 6 prong solitaire from Tiffany cost $25000 CAD. And it was purchased last Xmas.

Yikes! Imagine if you went slightly down in color, clarity, and didn''t get a Tiffany branded stone, for that $25K a 1. ct diamond, a pendant, AND a pair of earrings could be purchased! OR you could get a larger stone! Hmmm. . .which would a girl prefer?

well, she ONLY wants her ER from Tiffany with the highest specs so her FI knows that if he propose without a Tiffany ring, she will not say yes when he propose.

Wow! I know I''m entirely veering off topic here, but it sounds like they shouldn''t be getting married at all if a Tiffany branded stone is more important than her FI!

well, I think it''s more like if he cannot make her dream (Tiffany ring) come true, then he is not the one for her..... Because they were other guys that were pursuing her and willing to make her dream come true.. So he had to make the first move before it''s too late...

Oh my! She does not sound mature enough to be getting married.

And to decide who to marry by the brand of the ring given, how shallow and superficial. Sorry, but she sounds like a real piece of work...hopefully her finace has no cause to regret it down the road.

drvfstnwild, I doubt you could go wrong if you get a diamond from GOG, Whiteflash or James Allen.

And that Tiffany replica from Excel is to die for! Good luck in your decision. I''m sure your future fiance will be thrilled with whatever you choose.

 

[Sharon101]

I think it is reasonable for the female to have a strong and non negotiable preferance eg Tiffany ring. Its not as if she cant have an opinion & or dream. And I feel that in this case the guy has a set budget that is the same for T. or other, as opposed to him feeling like he cant afford to buy a T. ring.

To me it would feel the same if the gal wanted a great GOG or Whiteflash diamond but the guy insisted on a smaller T. ring. We would all be sticking up for the girl in this sinareo & indeed believing in her right to choose!!!!!